'Sir, I got a lot of building to do': US Army general jokingly passes on Trump's offer to 'stay and watch' his coronavirus briefing

• President Donald Trump on Monday afternoon joked with the chief of the US Army Corps of Engineers and asked him if he wanted to stick around for a press briefing that continues to be marked with partisan overtones.
• After concluding his briefing and answering a few questions from reporters, Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite was about to walk away from the lectern when Trump interrupted with a proposition.
• "Sir, I got a lot of building to do," Semonite said. "I'm going to let you, if you don't mind. Thanks sir."
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President Donald Trump on Monday afternoon joked with the chief of the US Army Corps of Engineers and asked him if he wanted to stick around for a press briefing that continues to be marked with partisan overtones.

During the daily press briefing on the United States' response to the coronavirus pandemic at the White House, Trump invited Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite, the commanding general of the US Army Corps of Engineers, to brief the media.

After concluding his briefing and answering a few questions from reporters, Semonite was about to walk away from the lectern when Trump interrupted with a proposition.

"So you can have a choice," Trump said. "You can stay and watch, watch these wonderful people ask us really nice questions, or you can go back to building ..."

Semonite, who commands 37,000 soldiers and civilians for the Army's civil engineering field, demurred with a grin.

"Sir, I got a lot of building to do," Semonite said. "I'm going to let you, if you don't mind. Thanks sir."

"Very impressive," Trump responded. "That's a very impressive job."

Semonite, a three-star general, has led the Corps of Engineers since 2016. Since embarking on their latest mission, the engineers are constructing 32 facilities of about 16,000 beds nationwide for both coronavirus-positive patients and non-patients.

"You gotta be able to get the mission-essential done," Semonite said of a construction site in Miami Beach, Florida. "Lives are on the line here. And we've got to be able to get everything done to be able to save those lives."

The White House's daily press briefings, which involve a revolving assortment of health care professionals; medical leaders; and finance chiefs; have been held at the White House to inform the public about the government's response to the ongoing pandemic.

But it has also included partisan accusations leveled against the media by the president and intense scrutiny over the Trump administration's response to the crisis. Trump, just as he does on his Twitter account, disparages many reporters for covering his policies critically and characterizes nearly every major US news organization as "fake news."

On Sunday, he blasted a reporter who pressed him about his delayed warning about the coronavirus.

"How many cases were in the United States when I did my ban?" Trump said to CBS News White House correspondent Weijia Jiang while adding "keep your voice down please."

In an April 6 briefing, Trump got into a verbal altercation with ABC News' chief Washington correspondent, Jonathan Karl, who he described as "third-rate."

"What you just said is a disgrace, OK," Trump said to Karl, adding, "You will never make it."